Audio Video Connections - Mark Ice

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Mark Ice was the consummate professional. The components he sold me were top notch (you can't find these components in "big box" stores) and the resulting system is a visual and auditory wonder... I mean really amazing. The installation guys were professional and new exactly what they were doing. Mark had an electrician coordinated with his crew and he also did a wonderful job (Cal Adams). I highly recommend this audio visual team.

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We requested estimates from several providers for a small job ?upgrading receiver and adding universal remote to our small system.. After talking with Mark Ice we made a decision to use his company, Audio Video Connections.. Our initial consultation with Mark left us with several ideas that we had never thought of (and that we thought were beyond what we wanted or would enjoy). After a few more follow-up discussions we jumped in with both feet and decided to go for it. He mounted our 55? TV on the wall, installed a 94? drop down screen?so we could use either the TV or the projector?installed an awesome Epson projector, upgraded our receiver, subwoofer and center channel speakers, new turntable?and then connected everything, .including our laser disc player?to the universal remote. We were concerned because we were basically installing a theater system in a room that is used all the time?and when watching TV or movies there is frequently a light on for reading or sewing or whatever. This was definitely NOT a dedicated theater room. Mark explained how it could work and assured us we had a great room for what we wanted and that it could work. And---he was right. We have had the system up and running for about 3 months and we love it. I was concerned about the screen size and the lighting, but the screen is not overwhelming and we have at least one light on almost all the time. Did we need it all?no?do we love it? Absolutely!!!! Mark and his staff were all very professional, competent, friendly and on time. The system is a dream, easy to use and we have not had any problems; the universal remote ties everything together?even though it is loaded up with all of our various electronics. The price was excellent, right in line with what we had thought and the final bill did not exceed the quote. Mark explained his choice of components but was also willing to use something different if we wanted. We chose to go with his suggestions and could not be happier. Will we use him again? Absolutely. We hope to upgrade our other speakers in the next year or so and will be calling him back to help with that.

We had problems getting satisfactory sound from our AV system due to the high ceilings in our new home. We had had a "professional" system installed during construction but were never satisfied with the sound quality. We were even watching our DVDs with sub-titles so as not to miss dialog. We assumed it would require extensive wiring for some sort of surround sound system. Mark came into our home and assessed the issue and recommended an alternative solution. His recommendation included several "price-range" solutions which allowed us to stay within our budget and still get a vastly improved system. After we decided on the "quality" of equipment we wanted, Mark and his team arrived on schedule and installed the systems within the time promised and cleaned up after themselves. I felt the tutoring to operate the system was adequate to let us begin enjoying our new system immediately. Mark deals in high-end equipment. This isn't chain store stuff, although some items, like a new TV could be purchased at COSTCO, he priced those items comparable to what one would pay a chain. Other items were custom built and ordered.

Install went great! Professional and nice.

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9/19/2014 - Update I received a call from Dave Stone. He apologized for not calling yesterday and explained his situation. He said he would be in the neighborhood and offered to stop by. He arrived within the time period i said i would be available. He was courteous, friendly and professional. I would consider contacting him again for a future job. 9/18/2014 I was referred to this company and more specifically to an individual employee by the company that originally performed the structured wiring of my house. The original company was no longer in business but the former owner attempted to help by referring me to a former employee who works with this company. I made 5 attempts to contact this company (2 emails via Angie's List and 3 phone calls in all). On the 5th attempt I got a call back and an appointment was scheduled for the next day between 6:30p and 7:00p. They never called to confirm or reschedule. I will amend this review if i get a call or services are performed.

This install took 5 days overall as our surround sound receiver (10 yrs old) had to be replaced due to "handshake" problems. The workers were not on premises all of that time but rather came and went based on various factors. The wiring was difficult to run as our attic is very tight/low on space with some wiring having to be run under the house. The workers knew their business and were easy to work with. They did a good job of cleaning up when they were done each day. I enjoyed the easy relationship we developed. I had multiple advance meetings with Mark to discuss what we wanted. He loves to talk and he knows his business. There are times when he is difficult to keep up with when he is talking as he moves from subject to subject very quickly. When the install was complete, Mark identified the system was loaded with more items than they have been used to installing and it has been a challenge for me to figure out how to use the Master Remote with all of its functions. It would have been nice to have some kind of User Manual for the Remote. Mark did provide a "cheat sheet" identifying some of the functionality but it needs to be much more complete in its detail. The Triad speakers have been a pleasant surprise and my wife loves them. Overall, this was a much more pleasant experience than it could have been. There were a lot of things that could have gone wrong but very few did. After the install was complete and Mark left when he thought everything was working well, I discovered my hi-def was fuzzy and loading was slow. Mark could not determine via phone what was wrong and was in the process of having one of his workers come back to our home to find out what was wrong. By accident, when working on some items in the Media Room, I found out what the problem was. The workers had plugged 2 of the major A/V control boxes into a switched extension cord that was turned off about 22 hours a day. They were not aware that the cord was not active. This was causing the system to default to using the wi-fi to feed the system rather than the hard wires. I rerouted the electrical cords and rebooted the system. Everything has worked very well since then.

I found Mark's listing on Angie's List and noted that he had excellent reviews. I contacted Mark and found him to be very professional, articulate, and knowledgeable. We set up a time for him to come to the house and review our requirements. Mark came by and we discussed the installation. He made some excellent suggestions and we agreed on the plan of action. Shortly after the on-site meeting Mark provided a detailed proposal. I reviewed the proposal, made some modifications, and discussed further with Mark. He quickly provided an updated proposal and we agreed to proceed. I provided an initial deposit as requested and Mark ordered the material. We set the date for installation and, true to his word, Mark was at the house ready to go on the date agreed to. He brought along two of his folks (Mark #2 and David) and installation started as scheduled. It took roughly a day and a half (including set up, programming, and instruction on the remote) and it was an absolute pleasure to work with everyone involved. They were courteous, hard working, and obviously knew what they were doing. I highly recommend Audio/Video Connections to anyone looking for a first class installation on a home or office A/V system.

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On time, very informative & did not do anything that was not necessary. Very please.

They had to go into the attic for placement of two of the speakers. No problem. Cleaned up everything prior to leaving. Explained system and function. Very nice guys.

Timely, informative, knowledgeable. Before any deviation in cost, Mark could call & explain option.

Not only was they on time, but went out of their way to accommodate me in an emergency (several times).

It went great. The hardest part was setting up the rear speakers, they had to go under the house in the crawl space. I am very satisfied.

We first contacted Audio Video Connections on a Saturday. Expecting to leave a message for a return call the following week, imagine my surprise when Mark Ice answered the phone. I was further impressed that he would take time on his day off to talk extensively about our ideas for sound and how we could achieve our goals. He closed the call by offering to meet with us during the early evening on Monday. After the initial meeting, we knew Audio Video Connections and Mark Ice were the right choice for designing and installing the system that had previously existed only as a concept in our mind. In addition to theater capabilities with surround sound, our plan was to marry music and our digital photo images so that we could listen to music at the same time we had continuous random slideshow viewing of our expansive digital image collection. Mark immediately had ideas about what equipment would enable the achievement of our goals and began research and review to make sure all would work together. He produced a quote by mid-week and began work within the week. Further, he referred excellent contacts for cabinet renovation who were skilled artisan craftsmen and did outstanding work. There are a few things worth noting about Audio Video Connections. Promises are kept, they do what they say they will, the way they say it will be done, on the schedule they commit to and at the prices quoted. They deliver an excellent value for the money spent. Mark consulted with us throughout the project to advise on the equipment making certain we understood how to get the greatest value for the budget we were setting. They are knowledgeable professionals with extensive experience in the business yet they are up-to-date on all the latest technology and trends of the business. They are masterful, creative and determined problem solvers. They are conscientious perfectionists in the completion of their work. Technical challenges were tackled head-on. They know their work can be disruptive so are very respectful of your home. Every night when preparing to finish for the day, their tools and equipment were picked-up and put away and the floor was cleaned and swept of any sawdust not caught in the drop cloths. Even though fairly proficient in the use of technology, our new systems and remotes represented a major technology change in how we activate television, music playlists, videos and photo images. Mark was patient in setting our systems up, explaining its use and in answering our follow-up questions. He will continue to assist as (if) we need him and/or troubleshoot small glitches while we learn how to maximize our enjoyment of our new entertainment systems. It's all too rare these days to have such a thoroughly positive experience with a company as we have had with Audio Video Connections. It was a pleasure doing business with them. We are extremely pleased with our new entertainment options. Without a single criticism or disappointment, they have our hearty recommendation.

Mark Odom was an excellent representative. He was at my home when agreed. He completely fixed issues and he provided expert electronic info.

The owner, Mark Ice responded promptly to my service request and quickly addressed my system problems and my questions.

Overall - OUTSTANDING. The project was flawless and we're enjoying watching the game outside. The work was performed well within budget, and the quality of service is unmatched. These aren't your average guys wearing monogrammed golf shirts pushing this week's fancy gadget. These are professional A/V designers/installers that are fully committed to ensuring your home theater and other A/V experiences are the best they can be. I highly recommend Mark Ice and Audio Video Connections if you are within 100 miles of the Tallahassee, Florida area.